What is "election day"

n. the day appointed for an election; in the United States it is the 1st Tuesday after the 1st Monday in November [syn: polling day]

Election Day may refer to:

• Election day, the day on which political elections are held
• Election Day (United Kingdom), the day on which political elections are held in the United Kingdom
• Election Day (United States), the day set by law for the general elections of public officials in the United States
• " Election Day Part I", episode 148 of The West Wing (TV series)
• " Election Day Part II", episode 149 of The West Wing (TV series)
• Election Day (film), a 1929 Our Gang short film
• Election Day (song), the 1985 debut New Wave song from the pop group Arcadia
• "Election Day" (Modern Family), the nineteenth episode of the third season of the American sitcom Modern Family

Election Day in the United States is the day set by law for the general elections of public officials. It occurs on the Tuesday immediately after the first Monday in November (this does not necessarily mean the "first Tuesday" in a month because the first day of a month can be a Tuesday). The earliest possible date is November 2, and the latest possible date is November 8 (as it will be for the 2016 election).

For federal offices ( President, Vice President, and United States Congress), Election Day occurs only in even-numbered years. Presidential elections are held every four years, in years divisible by four, in which electors for President and Vice President are chosen according to the method determined by each state. Elections to the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate are held every two years; all Representatives serve two-year terms and are up for election every two years, while Senators serve six-year terms, staggered so that one third of Senators are elected in any given general election. General elections in which presidential candidates are not on the ballot are referred to as midterm elections. Terms for those elected begin in January the following year; the President and Vice President are inaugurated ("sworn in") on Inauguration Day, which is usually on January 20.

Many state and local government offices are also elected on Election Day as a matter of convenience and cost saving, although a handful of states hold elections for state offices (such as governor) during odd-numbered " off years", or during other even-numbered " midterm years", and may hold special elections for offices that have become vacant.

Congress has mandated a uniform date for presidential and congressional ( and ) elections, though early voting is nonetheless authorized in many states.

Election Day is a civic holiday in some states, including Delaware, Hawaii, Kentucky, Montana, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, West Virginia, and the territory of Puerto Rico. Some other states require that workers be permitted to take time off from employment without loss of pay. California Elections Code Section 14000 provides that employees otherwise unable to vote must be allowed two hours off with pay, at the beginning or end of a shift. A federal holiday, Democracy Day, to coincide with Election Day has been unsuccessfully proposed. Other movements in the IT and automotive industries have been started to encourage employers to voluntarily give their employees paid time off on Election Day in order to make it easier for them to show up at their precinct and vote.

"Election Day" was the first single released by the Duran Duran offshoot band, Arcadia. It was released by Parlophone Records in October 1985 and subsequently hit the top ten on both sides of the Atlantic, peaking at #6 in the US and #7 in the UK, but was the most successful in Ireland, peaking at #5 and in Italy, peaking at #1 (also reaching the Top 25 in Germany). Along with the Arcadia members, "Election Day" features Grace Jones on vocals and speech segments.

Election Day is a 1929 Our Gang short silent comedy film directed by Robert A. McGowan. It was the 81st Our Gang short that was released.

Election day refers to the day when general elections are held. In many countries, general elections are always held on a Sunday, to enable as many voters as possible to participate, while in other countries elections are always held on a weekday. However, some countries, or regions within a country, always make a weekday election day a public holiday, thus satisfying both demands. Many countries permit absentee ballots or early ballots to be cast by mail prior to the election, thereby avoiding the problem altogether.

"Election Day" is the 19th episode of the third season of the American sitcom Modern Family, and the series' 67th episode overall. This episode originally aired on ABC on April 11, 2012. It was written by Ben Karlin, and directed by Bryan Cranston.

Election Day in the United Kingdom is by tradition a Thursday. It has been suggested that this tradition arose as the best of several circumstances: Friday pay-packets would lead to more drunken voters on Fridays and weekends; having the election as far after a Sunday as possible would reduce the influence of Sunday sermons; many towns held markets on Thursdays, thus the local population would be travelling to town that day anyway. Under the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011, all future General Elections shall take place on the first Thursday in May every five years, barring special circumstances. Most other European countries hold all Elections on Sundays. Polls in the United Kingdom open at 7:00 and close at 22:00.